Spokane Public Radio

Public Radio Broadcastingspokanepublicradio.org

Spokane Public Radio is a nonprofit NPR member station operating a ten-station FM network across Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, delivering local news, classical music, jazz, and original podcasts to Inland Northwest listeners.

Company typePrivate
Founded1980
HeadquartersSpokane, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Spokane Public Radio does

Spokane Public Radio (SPR) is a nonprofit NPR member station founded in 1980 and headquartered in Spokane, Washington, operating a multi-station broadcast network across Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Its core product is over-the-air FM radio broadcasting across ten FCC-licensed frequencies, with KPBX 91.1 FM serving as the news flagship, KSFC 91.9 FM providing classical music, and SPR Jazz delivering jazz programming; additional stations extend the network into Bonners Ferry, Kellogg, Saint Maries, Omak, Oroville, Brewster, and Twisp. The underlying technology platform combines traditional AM/FM radio transmission with digital streaming on the station website and on-demand podcast distribution, supplemented by original content such as the Inland Journal and SPR News Today podcasts.

SPR serves Inland Northwest regional listeners seeking local and regional news, classical and jazz music, and community programming, with a geographic segmentation approach centered on Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. The station distributes content through FM radio broadcasting (regional), digital streaming (global), and podcast platforms (global), and markets through its website, Instagram, Facebook, and community events such as farmers markets and Coffee and Conversation with the General Manager.

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: individual listener memberships and sustaining memberships (recurring), corporate business underwriting (advertising-style sponsorship), planned giving/estate gifts, and a vehicle donation program. The station does not publicly disclose pricing or underwriting rates, and operates under FCC and EEO compliance frameworks with governance provided by a Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board. Key content partnerships include NPR, American Public Media, PRX, BBC World Service, and WFMT, anchoring SPR within the broader public radio ecosystem.

Spokane Public Radio firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Spokane Public Radio
Legal name: Spokane Public Radio
Website: https://spokanepublicradio.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1980
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Spokane Public Radio is a nonprofit NPR member station operating a ten-station FM network across Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, delivering local news, classical music, jazz, and original podcasts to Inland Northwest listeners.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Spokane Public Radio industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Radio Broadcasting
NAICS: Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)
SIC: Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
akta.pro primary industry: Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)
akta.pro secondary industries: Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), Independent Local Radio Stations (MPABACAD)

Keywords

Public radio broadcasting
Community radio station
Regional news coverage
Classical music programming
Nonprofit media

Where Spokane Public Radio is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Spokane
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Spokane Public Radio business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Membership/Individual Donations: Individual listener support through membership programs, sustaining memberships, and one-time donations from listeners in the Spokane and Inland Northwest region.
Business Support/Underwriting: Corporate sponsorship and business underwriting, with a page dedicated to business supporters and annual business supporters listings.
Planned Giving: Estate planning and planned giving programs for major donors.
Vehicle Donations: Donate Your Car program accepting vehicle donations.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Spokane Public Radio product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Spokane Public Radio is a nonprofit NPR member station that broadcasts regional news, classical music, and jazz programming across multiple FM frequencies in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Its core offerings include three main stations (SPR News on KPBX 91.1, SPR Classical on KSFC 91.9, and SPR Jazz on KPBZ 90.3), on-demand podcasts, locally produced original programs such as Inland Journal and SPR News Today, and community events. The station is funded through listener memberships, donations, planned giving, vehicle donations, and business underwriting.

Product overview

Spokane Public Radio is an NPR member station operating a multi-station radio network (KPBX 91.1 FM for news, KSFC 91.9 FM for classical music, and SPR Jazz) offering live radio broadcasting, on-demand podcasts, and community engagement programs. The station provides local and regional news coverage, classical and jazz music programming, and cultural shows including From The Studio, Front Porch Bluegrass, Poetry Moment, and Tuesday Night Jazz. Additional offerings include membership programs, business underwriting services, podcasts (Inland Journal, SPR News Today), and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

SPR News (KPBX 91.1 FM) Main news radio station on 91.1 FM featuring local and regional news coverage, NPR programming, and live broadcasting for Inland Northwest listeners.
SPR Classical (KSFC 91.9 FM) Classical music radio station on 91.9 FM featuring classical music programming and performances for Inland Northwest listeners.
SPR Jazz Jazz music radio programming featuring jazz performances and related content for Inland Northwest listeners.
Membership Programs Annual and sustaining membership programs allowing listeners to financially support Spokane Public Radio through recurring or one-time contributions.
Business Underwriting Corporate sponsorship and underwriting services enabling businesses to support Spokane Public Radio while receiving on-air recognition in compliance with the station's separation between underwriting and news.
Inland Journal Podcast Regional news podcast covering Spokane and Inland Northwest stories, including technology and business topics, available on demand.
SPR News Today Podcast Daily news podcast featuring top regional news stories and interviews for Inland Northwest audiences.

Companies that use Spokane Public Radio

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Spokane Public Radio technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Spokane Public Radio partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

NPR (National Public Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpokane Public Radio is an official NPR member station. This affiliation provides access to NPR's national news content, programs, and journalism resources. SPR rebroadcasts NPR shows and contributes content to the network.
American Public Media (APM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPR carries programming from American Public Media, including classical music and other public radio content from the APM network.
PRX (Public Radio Exchange)coreTechnology or IntegrationPRX logo visible on website footer indicating content distribution partnership for public radio programming exchange.
BBC World ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBC World Service programming available through SPR's programming lineup.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Spokane Public Radio competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Northwest Public Broadcasting: Regional public radio and TV network serving Washington, Idaho, and Oregon with NPR and PBS content. Directly comparable multi-station public broadcaster operating in overlapping Pacific Northwest geography with a similar listener-supported model.
Boise State Public Radio: NPR member station serving Boise and southern Idaho with news, classical, and jazz formats. A direct geographic and format peer given the shared Inland Northwest coverage area and similar programming mix.
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Pacific Northwest public radio and TV network with NPR affiliation and a strong regional news operation. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest NPR member organization with a similar listener-supported funding model and emphasis on local journalism.
KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio: Seattle-based NPR member station serving the Puget Sound region with news and talk programming. Comparable as a Washington-state NPR affiliate with a similar community-supported model, though in a larger and more urban market.

Broad incumbents

WNYC: Flagship New York public radio station and major NPR content producer. Comparable as an NPR member station with news, talk, and classical programming, but operates at significantly greater scale and produces nationally distributed content.
KQED: San Francisco Bay Area public radio and TV station and major NPR/PBS content producer. Comparable as a listener-supported public broadcaster with news, classical, and podcast offerings, but at much larger scale than SPR.
WAMU 88.5: Washington DC-area NPR member station operated by American University. Comparable as a community-licensed NPR member station with a strong local news focus, though in a substantially larger media market.
WGBH: Boston-based public radio and TV broadcaster and major content producer. Comparable as a multi-format public broadcaster with classical, news, and cultural programming, though at much greater scale and with national production reach.

Others

American Public Media (APM): Public radio content distributor and producer (A Prairie Home Companion, Marketplace). Comparable as a content partner in SPR's lineup, representing an upstream supplier relationship rather than a direct competitor.
PRX (Public Radio Exchange): Public radio content distribution platform and podcast publisher. Comparable as a content distribution and technology partner for SPR, not a direct competitor; represents an ecosystem participant in the public radio distribution chain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Spokane Public Radio compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance2 records

Spokane Public Radio financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Spokane Public Radio leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Spokane Public Radio funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Spokane Public Radio M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spokane Public Radio

What does Spokane Public Radio do?

Is Spokane Public Radio a public or private company?

Spokane Public Radio is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Spokane Public Radio founded?

Spokane Public Radio was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Spokane Public Radio based?

Spokane Public Radio is headquartered in Spokane, United States, in the North America region.

How does Spokane Public Radio make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Membership/Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are business Support/Underwriting, planned Giving and vehicle Donations.

Who are Spokane Public Radio's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Northwest Public Broadcasting, Boise State Public Radio, Oregon Public Broadcasting and KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio. Broad incumbents are WNYC, KQED, WAMU 88.5 and WGBH. Others are American Public Media (APM) and PRX (Public Radio Exchange).

Does Spokane Public Radio have an API?

No public API is recorded for Spokane Public Radio.

What industry is Spokane Public Radio in?

Spokane Public Radio's product category is Public Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAG, Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM), with a secondary code of MPAIAEAB, Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.